Words from your Newborn Care Specialist: Baths!
Out of the top 5 requests that I receive for baby care support, bathing baby is at the top! Why not a blog post to help?
We’ll start at the top.
Immediate post birth bath…. Is that needed?
Not necessarily. Babies aren’t born dirty. The white substance on their skin, called Vernix, is a protective barrier for baby while in the constant warm waters of the womb. This biofilm contains both moisturizing and antibiotic properties, which are useful post-birth as baby acclimated to his new surroundings.
It is recommended to allow the vernix to soak in to babies skin for as long as possible, to give baby that extra moisturizer. If baby is born with a lot of “birth fluids” on him, then a wipe down may be necessary, but you can still try to preserve the vernix as much as possible.
While you are getting to know your newborn… is it necessary to bathe in the first 24 hours or while you are at the hospital?
Again- not necessarily. It really is a personal choice. Hospitals generally offer to bathe newborns after baby has been born 8 hours - this is to protect the bonding between baby and parents “the Golden Hour” and to encourage that time of transitioning and breastfeeding.
This is a question/conversation that comes up weekly with clients while we are working on their Birth Plan. Our clients at Maryland Birth Services have the option to receive a customized birth plan to communicate their goals and preferences to their provider and team. It really is a personal choice to bathe baby or to wait.
Because a newborn babies umbilicus is still healing, it is also recommended to wait to do a tub-bath with your baby until the cord area has healed completely. A great alternative is a warm sponge bath with no soap products, just to freshen up baby and clear skin of any left over milk residue.
I’m ready to bathe my baby. Walk me through it:
You got it! We recommend the following items:
A few fluffy towels.
A diaper for post bath.
A basin of warm water
Clean clothing
A washcloth
We don’t typically recommend soap products or lotions for newborns as it can dry their delicate skin out and also make baby acne (a normal occurrence for babies) a little more intense and possibly itchy.
Water temperature should be warm to the touch- around 99-100 degrees. Cover your surface - we use a counter or changing table area, with a fluffy towel or 2. Put baby on top of towels, and then cover with a towel to keep warm, but also to have easy access to baby’s little parts to clean.
Start wiping babies face, ears (cotton ear swabs are not needed to clean and can hurt babies ears) and neck. We typically save the hair for 2nd to last since babies get chilly at that step, and we try to minimize their discomfort.
Then we proceed to each area of the body, one at a time, keeping the remaining areas covered with towel to keep baby warm. Second to last we do the babies hair and lastly we do the babies diaper parts, not forgetting to wipe the little wrinkles of skin around thighs and bottom.
A clean diaper and new clothes to warm them up, should make for a happy and fresh baby.
Maryland Birth Services Support
Our Postpartum support services at Maryland Birth Services, include both postpartum support for new parents and Newborn Care services for a healthy balance to support new families. We can help with babies first baths, feeding techniques, sleep strategies, and caring for baby while parents get a nap. We’re here for you- day or night!
Send a message on our Contact Us page for our Welcome Packet.
Happy bathing and be well!